Art reviews from art critics Edward Goldman and Hunter Drohojowska-Philp.
If you have the slightest interest in the art of photography or fashion, you will undoubtedly recognize the name Irving Penn, whose artistic achievements have had a major influence on the contemporary art scene of the last sixty years. Born in 1917 and still active today, Irving Penn might have started his career as just a fashion photographer, but he quickly developed a distinctive style which set his images apart...
So, how was your Labor Day? Myself, I'm never sure what's the proper thing to do on this holiday – to honor it with an honest day of work or by taking it easy. Even here in Santa Monica it was hot, so I did my usual and fled to the air-conditioned sanctuary of museum galleries...
Five flights, four cities, two countries – not too bad for a one-week trip, eh? It was my first trip to Canada, where I spent three days in Toronto and two in Ottawa, followed by even shorter visits to Detroit and Toledo, where I hadn't been before either...
Truth be told, I haven't yet seen any of the five exhibitions that I want to tell you about today – though I'm still hoping to catch one of them in New York, and another, if luck is on my side, in Florence. Two more exhibitions are coming this fall to Los Angeles, so that makes four. And the last one, the controversial installation of Jeff Koons' sculptures at Versailles, has already closed...
Summertime, and the livin' is easy ...You are probably packing for a trip and looking for a book to read, so here's my suggestion: the recently published collection of essays by Los Angeles art insiders who spill their guts in conversation with Richard Hertz – himself a consummate insider of the LA art world, with experience teaching at Caltech and CalArts as well as heading the Department of Graduate Studies at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena...
There were four of us on this warm Friday night; blankets under our arms, plastic bags full of snacks; we were walking down a nondescript stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard after a seemingly endless search for a parking spot. And we were not alone. One could see a few more people on the sidewalk, like us schlepping bags and lawn chairs and headed in the same direction...
I wonder how many of you would raise your hands if asked, "Who has been to a performance at UCLA's Royce Hall?" I wouldn't be surprised if most of you have been there on a number of occasions to see dance, theater, or a concert. But how many of you know about the museum tucked away down the hill from Royce Hall? I'm talking about the Fowler Museum, where savvy, adventurous Angelenos can find a variety of exhibitions about little-known arts and cultures...
What would you say if a nightmare that woke you up in a cold sweat could be described in the most terrifying detail to a great artist who would be able to recreate it in bronze...and I mean it not figuratively, but literally, in bronze. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon the National Archeological Museum while wandering through Florence, you will never forget the encounter with one of its world-famous treasures, the life-size bronze sculpture of the Chimaera, the mythological creature that ...
For those looking for an excuse to step away from the media obsession with Michael Jackson – and the Sarah Palin sideshow – here's a good chance to do just that: go see the irresistibly charming documentary about Herb and Dorothy Vogel, the most beloved American collectors of the last half-century, whose unique and inspiring life devoted to art collecting earned them a well-deserved reputation as cultural icons...
Immediately after coming home from a trip abroad, I like to check out what's happening on the art scene here in my own town, to see if it holds up against the great variety of art adventures I had while traveling. The first day back in LA, totally jet-lagged and exhausted from two weeks of stuffing myself full of art in Europe (oh, poor Edward...), I rushed to the Getty for the opening of the ambitious exhibition of three centuries of French bronze sculpture. It was full of fascinating objects, ...
It's been only a couple of months since my last trip to Amsterdam, so there better be a good reason to return so soon for yet another visit. And how could I say no to an invitation to attend the inaugural ceremony for the opening of the Hermitage Amsterdam, the ambitious collaboration between the famous museum in St. Petersburg and its colleagues in the Netherlands? While two previous attempts at branding by the Hermitage Museum – first in London and then in Las Vegas – turned out to be short-li...
Sunday morning's ritual: a large cup of coffee and piles of newspaper spread out all over my bed. Then, out into the world to the farmers' market, with its abundance of color, texture, and taste. The Santa Monica market is brimming with eccentric characters vying for attention. Last Sunday, it was a slim, shirtless young fellow, with his pants so low that the only mystery remaining was whether he'd been circumcised or not. Looking at the multitude of his boring tattoos, I wondered if he had been...
Let me come clean. Every time I visit the Metropolitan Museum, I skip the galleries displaying American art, and until recently, it was the same with the Huntington in San Marino. I would spend most of the time there savoring the world-class collection of English paintings and then finish by looking at a couple of temporary exhibitions. Not any longer...
On Inauguration Day, four months ago, I talked about the dream I had for what our new president could accomplish if he decided to become a champion of art. I imagined Barack taking Michelle and their adorable girls on a stroll through the National Gallery, and I fantasized about the president deciding to bring contemporary artworks into the White House – not only into the living quarters, but the Oval Office as well. What a great chance it would be to breathe new energy into the historic rooms, ...
President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame has gotten a lot of attention. I heard it on the radio and watched it on TV and was impressed by his eloquence. But when I saw on the front page of Monday's New York Times the photo of students with the president – big smiles and handshakes all around – I was taken aback by the unintentional lack of civility shown by the students. Take a look at the photograph...
For good, normal folks who might go to a museum only once in a while, museums present themselves in a stately, unhurried, dignified manner. But if you peer behind the curtain, 'calm' is the last word you would use to describe what's going on there...
In last week’s program I asked you for advice: ‘To Tweet or Not to Tweet...’ and respond you did – with humor, sarcasm, and good straightforward advice. To read all the responses posted, visit the Art Talk page of the KCRW website. Here are some excerpts...
Looking back at the past thirty years, I see the pattern of my initial reluctance to embrace the technology of the modern world. First, I had to learn to drive a car, though some of my friends tell me that I still drive like a Russian peasant. Then, there was an especially embarrassing moment when I heard for the first time the word "fax" and mistook it for, hmmm...an unprintable profanity, and that's how l learned about the existence of fax machines. When I started to do my Art Talk , I would w...
It's unbearably hot even here, in Santa Monica, near the beach. Damn those Santa Ana winds. To survive, I need to think and talk about something cool. How about this? A stone's throw from Venice Beach sits LA Louver Gallery, one of the mainstays of the Los Angeles art scene. There, for the next few weeks, you can find a small herd of horses roaming the galleries – some standing still, others grazing or lying down, maybe even sleeping...
Compared to a journalist covering the disintegration of the international financial system or reporting from the battlefield in Afghanistan, there is an obvious advantage to being an art critic. After all, where else if not in the art business can one think about Death, Debt, and Divorce as something to look forward to, a renewable source of profit for auction houses when private collectors are pressured to sell their art as a result of these three famous "D's." Even when the news from the art s...
Somehow in the last several weeks, Russian avant-garde culture of the early 20th century has been presenting itself with surprising consistency, both here in LA and during my recent trip to Holland. In Amsterdam I saw excellent early paintings by Kandinsky, and on the last day there, I was invited to see The Four Temperaments by Balanchine performed by the Dutch National Ballet. The theater was packed, and the dancers were very good. All that made me think about the famous Ballets Russes and its...
Returning to LA from a ten-day trip to Holland, I jumped head first into the thick of things, trying to catch up with the new exhibitions in museums and galleries. First I drove downtown to the USC Fisher Museum, which has become the happy recipient of a generous gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation...
The name of the picturesque ancient city Maastricht, in the south of Holland, might not ring a bell in American ears, but in Europe it’s definitely well known as the place where the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992, giving birth to the European Union. Another reason to be aware of this city is TEFAF, the celebrated annual international art fair, often referred to as the ‘Tiffany’ of all art fairs. That’s where curators and discriminating collectors from around the world go in search of rare ...
The last couple of months, running into various art dealers, the first thing I ask is how they're holding up. No doubt, it's been a difficult time for the art market, where sales of contemporary art are way below what they were even a year ago. One exception was the recent sale of the Yves Saint Laurent collection, a big success, probably attributable to the worldwide recognition of the designer's name; people are willing to pay extra for an art work belonging to a famous person...
When you think about the most important Los Angeles cultural patrons of the last fifty years –- people who devoted their sizable fortunes and limitless passion to supporting and promoting the arts 0– three names spring immediately to mind: Dorothy Chandler, who gave us the Music Center, Marcia Weisman, the driving force behind the creation of MOCA; and, last but not least, Betty Freeman, a legendary patron of avant-garde music as well as a major collector of American post-war art...
Now that the razzle dazzle of Oscar night has mercifully passed, and our tuxedos and one-strap designer gowns are back in the closet, let's put on overalls and roll up our sleeves: it's time for a reality check...at least reality the way I see it...
Whatever the state of the economy right now, one thing is clear: major museums in LA are not wanting for attendance. Last Sunday, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was pleasantly crowded; not only its temporary exhibitions, but the galleries with permanent collections were full of visitors as well. A lot of young people gathered around four BMW Art Cars exhibited outdoors on the museum plaza. You might want to check out these cars painted by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, and...
Bad weather, with its strong winds and rain, can sure put a damper on weekend plans, unless you get a little bit creative – after all, there are always museums out there waiting for us. It was pouring when I hit the Pacific Coast Highway last Sunday, but all of a sudden, the celestial authorities had a change of heart, and the rest of the drive to Malibu was smooth sailing: few cars and plenty of sunshine...
It's been a whole week since the dawning of a new era, with President Obama urging fellow citizens to work harder rather than sending us to shop our way out of trouble. I can honestly say that I've never worked harder than this last week; it was all art, all the time, and then some. Judge for yourself...
Since Election Day, when Barack Hussein Obama became President-Elect of the United States, I, like everyone else, have been swept up in the wave of enthusiasm over the results of the election. But truth be told, I'm elated not just because we have our first black president, but because...
